The Blues put on four unanswered tries in an inspired 22-minute period to post a gutsy 25-19 bonus-point victory over the Western Force in the Super 14 clash at Subiaco Oval on Friday night.
The Force leapt out to a 14-3 lead after 27 minutes but a try to Blues No.8 Chris Lowrey in the 28th minute sparked the visitors into action.
The Blues, kicking against a stiff breeze in the second half, piled on three more tries after the break to race out to a 25-14 lead.
A 60th-minute try to Force lock Tom Hockings gave the home side some hope but the Blues held firm in the remaining 20 minutes despite valiant efforts from David Pocock and Matt Giteau.
The Blues, minus All Blacks Rudi Wulf, Ali Williams, Jerome Kaino and Joe Rokocoko, started brightly and were on the board in the 11th minute through a Paul Williams penalty.
Cameron Shepherd muffed a chance to cross for the first try of the match when his soccer kick skewered sideways but Force prop AJ Whalley got the home side on the board in the 17th minute when he crashed through Justin Collins and Benson Stanley to barge over.
The Blues controlled play in the first half but were made to pay dearly for crucial errors.
Stanley’s inability to grasp a wayward pass led to the Force’s second try in the 22nd minute.
Force winger Drew Mitchell scooped up the loose ball and sprinted 90m to cross, with Giteau’s conversion from the sideline giving the home side a handy 11-point lead.
But from there the Blues kicked into action with devastating effect.
Lowrey’s try in the 28th minute got the wheels in motion, and when Justin Collins touched down in the corner in the 43rd minute, the Force’s lead had been cut to a single point.
A flukey breeze which caught a high kick and some slack tackling from Ryan Cross, Haig Sare and Shepherd allowed Anthony Boric to notch the Blues’ third in the 50th minute but Williams was having a shocker with his conversion attempts.
After missing his first two attempts, Williams’ third didn’t even get airborne after the ball tumbled off the tee as he kicked it.
The Blues shot out to an 11-point lead when scrumhalf Taniela Moa crossed for his team’s fourth try and substitute Jimmy Gopperth made no mistake with the conversion, before Hockings reduced the margin back to six points when he touched down in the corner.
But it wasn’t enough for the Force, who still gained a bonus point by finishing within seven points of the Blues.
“We didn’t achieve enough field position,” Western Force coach John Mitchell told Fox Sports after the match.
“We struggled to build pressure on them.
“When we did we had them in a lot of trouble.
“Our high error rate … hurt us in the end.
“It was pretty tough out there, they were pretty brutal in their contact.
“We found it hard to get momentum in attack and we couldn’t build enough pressure for long enough periods of time to put them away.”
Blues coach Pat Lam praised his team’s fighting spirit.
“It was certainly a tough effort out there,” Lam said.
“Away from home, to start our campaign with a win and a bonus point is pleasing.
“We realise we’ve got a bit of work to do.
“We got off to a slow start and showed a lot of character coming back and finishing the job off.
“The other thing we were pleased about was the young guys … they really stood up.”
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